The Rolling Stones have topped Forbes' Musicians Rich List for the last financial year.
Their 'Bigger Bang' world tour has been the highest grossing tour in history, pocketing the band some $437 million since kicking off in 2005. From June 2006-June 2007, the Stones earned $88 million, placing them ahead of rap impresario Jay-Z, who earned $83 million.Madonna managed to drag herself away from Malawi for long enough to earn $72 million, on the back of her 'Confessions' tour which saw her perform for one million people across the globe. She subsidised her income by teaming up with Swedish clothes retailer H&M for a clothing line.
Bon Jovi come in at number four with earnings of $67 million, whilst Elton John's $53 million year - in which he celebrated his 60th birthday - earned him fifth place on the list. His 'Red Piano' Las Vegas show proved a massive money-earner, as did Celine Dion's 'A New Day...' show at Caesar's Palace, helping the Canadian garner a $45 million income for the year.
Tim McGraw's tour with wife Faith Hill was a huge success across the States, with the $89 million in ticket sales contributing to McGraw's $37 million in earnings, placing him seventh on the list. Bullet-ridden rapper 50 Cent comes in at eighth with $33 million, whilst U2 - who only played a handful of live shows in the period - came in ninth with $30 million. Multi-tasking entrepreneur Diddy rounded out the top ten with earnings of $23 million.
Forbes Musicians Rich List:
1 Rolling Stones - $88 million
2 Jay-Z - $83 million
3 Madonna - $72 million
4 Bon Jovi - $67 million
5 Elton John - $53 million
6 Celine Dion - $45 million
7 Tim McGraw - $37 million
8 Fiddy - $33 million
9 U2 - $30 million
10 Diddy - $23 million
11 Justin Timberlake - $20 million
